Improvement in processes of making lamp-shade supports



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W. N. WEEDEN. Processes of Making Lamp-Shade Supports. No. 145,702, 7 Patented Dec.16,1873.

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e w. N. WEEDEN. Processes of Making Lamp-Shade Supports.

No. 145,702, Patented Dec.16,1873.

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- I 1/ I I UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn WILLIAM N. \VEEDEN, OIWWATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BENEDICT 8r BURNHAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT lN PROCESSES OF MAKING LAMP-SHADESUPPORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,702, dated December 16, 1873; application filed November 11, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. WEEDEN, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Process for Making Shade-Rings for Lamps and similar articles; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part'of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a plan of the blank after the first operation; Fig. 2, a central section of the same; Fig. 3, a plan of the blank after the second operation; Fig. 4, a central section of the same; Fig. 5, a plan of the ring complete; Fig. 6 a central section of the same; and in Fig. 7, a transverse section of one of the arms on line 00 m; Fig. 8, a vertical central section of dies suitable for making the herein-described ring.

This invention relates to an improvement in the process of manufacturing what are known to the trade as sl1ade-ringsthat is to say, the ring which is placed around lampburners to support the shade, and which consists of a ring upon which the lower edge of the shade rests, a second ring or base which surrounds the burner or neck of the lamp, the shade-ring elevated above the neck-ring, and the two connected together by arms riveted to the shade-ring and neck-ring. This process of construction is expensive, and the object of this invention is to reduce the cost of construction and produce the ring complete from a single piece of metal.

The invention consists in cutting from a disk of metal a blank for the shade-ring, the neckring and the arms extending from the neck or center ring to the shade or outer ring, and then stretching the arms between the center portion and outer ring, by corrugations or otherwise, the required extent to give the necessary elevation to the outer ring, and without in any manner stretching or distressing the metal of the center and outer rings, which will allow the depressing of the central portion to the required extent without further stretching or distressing the metal of the arms, and leave the outer and inner rings substan= tially their original thickness.

To strike up these articles in a single piece and then cut away the portion between the arms would leave the waste or cut-away portions of no use, as the stretching process would stretch or so change the thickness of the metal as to render it of no use, and such process would require several annealings before the article could be completed. I therefore take a disk of the requisite diameter to form the ring A, and cut away portions B between the said ring and center C, so as to leave radial arms D extending from the center to the ring. This blank is then placed in suitable dies, substantially such as seen in Fig. 8, which will strike the ring intothe requisite form, (seen in transverse section in Fig. 2;) and at the same time, or at an intermediate stage, I stretch the arms between the ring A and center 0 by means of the dies, preferring a series of corrugations, more or less in number, the extent of which, when measured over the corrugated or extended surface, is equal to the length of the arm required, and in thus extending the arms the metal of the ringA or center 0 is not affected, the ring being held by the die which formed it, or otherwise, to preserve its circular shape and prevent its drawing in at the arms; then the blank is placed in other dies, which will force the center down and draw out the arms from their irregular form into the required shape, as seen in Fig. 6, and to strengthen the arms they may be corrugated transversely, as

seen in Figs. 5 and 7. The upper die is formed in two parts, S being a hollow circular die, and R a central die, to move independent of the circular die S, and T the lower die. The part S is first brought down upon the metal to form the ring, and hold the ring while the center comes. down to stretch the arm. Dies of other construction may, however, be em ployed in the production of the ring described.

By this process the stretching or drawing of the arms is done without annealing, and the original thickness of the center and outer ring is preserved, and the Waste portions cut Without changing the form of the center or from between the arms may be utilized for the outer ring.

manufacture of smaller articles, its original I claim as my invention condition not being changed by this operation. The process herein described for the manu- It Will be understood that I do not confine facture of shade-rings.

myself to stretching the arms by means of corrugations only, but that the stretching Witnesses:

may be done by other suitable means, it only FRED. A. MASON,

being necessary that the stretching be done CHAS. DICKINSON.

WM. N. 'WEEDEN. 

